In areas where there is pedestrian and vehicular traffic, particularly in publically accessible areas, it is universally common to have specific pathways, such as walkways for pedestrians and driveways for vehicles.
Such walkways might include sidewalks, pedestrian bridges, paved walkways through parks, patios, floor surfaces, and the like. Further, such pedestrian walkways exist in public transit facilities, such as subway stations, light rapid transit, bus rapid transit, railway stations, and the like, where there is very significant amount of pedestrian traffic. In many types of pedestrian walkways, there is a requirement for pedestrians to be able to safely navigate such walkways and to remain on the walkways, especially where public transit vehicles are passing closely by. This is particularly important for mass transit platforms in public transit facilities, where there is presently the most significant need for safe pedestrian walkways, such as mass transit platforms and the like.
More specifically, there is a need for pedestrians to be able to maintain good traction on pedestrian walkways in order to prevent slips and falls, particularly on outdoor surfaces that can be subject to inclement weather such as wind, rain and snow, and on outdoor surfaces that retain snow and ice.
Additionally, in some places such as public transit facilities, driveways and the like for vehicles, particularly service vehicles, there is a need to be able to maintain good traction for vehicles during inclement weather and on outdoor surfaces that retain snow and ice.
Additionally, it is important for pedestrians to be able to determine the nearby presence of platform edges so that the pedestrians do not accidentally walk off the edge of a platform, where a vehicle, such as a public transit vehicle, or even a private vehicle, might be passing by. This is especially important in mass transit situations, and particularly for commuter trains, where the side of the train is right at the edge of the platform. The need for making the nearby presence of platform edges easy to determine, especially by blind or visually impaired persons, is of course is of particularly acute importance in attempting to make such facilities accessible and safe for blind or visually impaired persons.
Various types of transit boarding platform panels exist that include detectable warning tiles at the top thereof in order to permit persons, especially blind or visually impaired persons, to detect the nearby presence of platform edges. One such state-of-the art transit boarding platform panels is taught in the present inventor's earlier U.S. Pat. No. 7,690,862, issued Apr. 6, 2010 to Szekely, and entitled Quick Connect Transit Boarding Platform Panel. The transit boarding platform panel is for use along an edge of a transit platform adjacent a track. The panel comprises a molded base portion formed from a reinforced composite polymer. The base portion has a top deck and bottom plate, a first side and an opposite second side, a first end and an opposite second end. The first side is intended to be adjacent a track at an edge of the transit boarding platform. The second side is intended to be adjacent the transit platform. A series of internal support members are disposed between the top deck and bottom plate. In one embodiment, the top deck has a detectable warning surface consisting of raised truncated domes detectable by the visually impaired in accordance with Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA): Accessibility Guidelines for Buildings and Facilities. The first and second ends are provided with means to interconnect adjacent panels and to secure the panels to the platform. In one embodiment, the means to interconnect adjacent panels and to secure the panels to the platform includes a groove provided on the first end of each panel and a tongue provided on the second end of each panel. The groove is sized and shaped to accept a corresponding sized and shaped tongue provided on the second end of an adjacent panel. The tongue is hollow and has a bolt hole at either end. A threaded securing rod is inserted through a hole in the timber headers that form the retaining wall for the platform, and then is inserted through the tongue via the bolt holes.
This transit boarding platform panel is installed by 1) Setting a sub-base of engineered granular fill (crushed stone); 2) Laying out timber retaining wall and stake in platform, 3) Filling in retaining wall area with compacted granular fill; and 4) Installing structural plastic transit platform.
While it has been found that this transit boarding platform panel works very well, it has also been found that there is a need for heatable modules, such as modular panels, modular tiles, and the like, for constructing pathways, such as pedestrian walkways and vehicular driveways, including mass transit platforms, wherein the top surface is readily removable and replaceable and wherein the heater is removable and replaceable. It has further been found that there is a need for heatable modules, such as modular panels, modular tiles, and the like, for constructing pathways, such as pedestrian walkways and vehicular driveways, including mass transit platforms, that are easy to install and cost effective to install. It has further been found that there is a need for heatable modules, such as modular panels, modular tiles, and the like, for constructing pathways, such as pedestrian walkways and vehicular driveways, including mass transit platforms, that are cost effective to heat.
It has further been found that there is a need for heatable modules, such as heatable modular panels, heatable modular tiles, and the like, for constructing pathways, such as pedestrian walkways and vehicular driveways, including mass transit platforms, wherein the heatable modules are more readily manufactured and more cost effectively manufactured than prior art and heatable modular panels, heatable modular tiles, and the like.
It has further been found that there is a need for modules, such as modular panels, modular tiles, and the like, and heatable modules, such as modular panels, modular tiles, and the like, for constructing pathways, such as pedestrian walkways and vehicular driveways, including mass transit platforms, that are water resistant, especially where heated modular panels are used.
It is also known to heat the floors of residential and commercial buildings. Such known prior art heated floors are expensive to install and operate. There is a need to reduce these types of expenses.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,578,102, issued Aug. 25, 2009 to Banister, and entitled Electric Tile Modules, discloses an electrically connectable tile module that includes a porous substrate having a top side, a bottom side, and at least two side edges. At least one connector is integrated into the porous substrate allowing adjoining electrically connectable tile modules to be electrically connected to the porous substrate. At least one electrical element is disposed over the top side of the porous substrate and electrically connected to the at least one connector. Thermo-voltaic elements and photovoltaic elements are housed within the disclosed tile module for generating electricity from heat and light, respectively. There is no teaching of efficiently distributing the electrical power to the various electrical elements.
U.S. Published Patent Application No. 2014/0157691, published Jun. 12, 2014 to Putnam, and entitled Patio, Porch Or Walkway Assembly Incorporating A Plurality Of Blocks And Including Any Combination Of Pre-Cast And Exposed Surfaced Patterns, Interiorly Supported Heating Pads And Led Effect Lighting, discloses an assembly for creating a three dimensional exterior structure incorporates a plurality of bodies inter-assembled via engaging tongue and groove profiles to create at least one of a multi-tier stepped or extending walkway surface. Each of the bodies further exhibits a hollowed interior to facilitate in-filling of a compactible material in order to weight said bodies during assembly. Thermal generating elements can be incorporated into one or more of the bodies. In one embodiment, the thermal generating elements include heating pads or inserts connected to a remote power supply through a connecting network that includes a junction box and wiring associated with the second assembled layer. There is no teaching of efficiently distributing the electrical power to the various heating pads or inserts.
It is an object of the present invention to provide heatable pathway systems, such as pedestrian walkways and vehicular driveways.
It is an object of the present invention to provide heatable pathway systems, such as pedestrian walkways and vehicular driveways, particularly a transit platform or the like.
It is an object of the present invention to provide heatable pathway systems, such as pedestrian walkways and vehicular driveways, that use electrical power efficiently.
It is an object of the present invention to provide heatable pathway systems, such as pedestrian walkways and vehicular driveways, that are modular.
It is another object of the present invention to provide heatable pathway systems, such as pedestrian walkways and vehicular driveways, wherein the heatable modules that are used to construct the heatable pathway systems readily fit properly in place adjacent a wood header of an adjoining platform subgrade that accommodates heatable modules that are about three inches in height.
It is another object of the present invention to provide heatable pathway systems, such as pedestrian walkways and vehicular driveways, wherein the heatable modules used can include top plates.
It is another object of the present invention to provide heatable pathway systems, such as pedestrian walkways and vehicular driveways, that can include detectable warning indicators.
It is another object of the present invention to provide heatable pathway systems, such as pedestrian walkways and vehicular driveways, that can include detectable warning tiles.
It is another object of the present invention to provide heatable pathway systems, such as pedestrian walkways and vehicular driveways, that can include a textured top surface.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide heatable pathway systems, such as pedestrian walkways and vehicular driveways, wherein the included heatable modules are readily connectable one to the next.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide heatable pathway systems, such as pedestrian walkways and vehicular driveways, wherein the included heatable modules are lightweight.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide heatable pathway systems, such as pedestrian walkways and vehicular driveways, wherein the heatable modules are easy to manufacture.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide heatable pathway systems, such as pedestrian walkways and vehicular driveways, wherein the base member of the heatable modules are water resistant.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide heatable pathway systems, such as pedestrian walkways and vehicular driveways, wherein the amount of material used to form the heatable modules that are used is significantly less than in prior art heatable modules.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide heatable pathway systems, such as pedestrian walkways and vehicular driveways, wherein the amount of material used to form the internal support members of the heatable modules that are used is significantly less than in prior art heatable modules.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide heatable pathway systems, such as pedestrian walkways and vehicular driveways, wherein the heatable modules that are used are easier to manufacture than are prior art heatable modules.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide heatable pathway systems, such as pedestrian walkways and vehicular driveways, wherein the heatable modules that are used are quicker to manufacture than are prior art heatable modules
It is a further object of the present invention to provide heatable pathway systems, such as pedestrian walkways and vehicular driveways, wherein the base member of the heatable modules that are used is made via a compression molding process or method, such as sheet molded compound (SMC) or wet compression molding.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide heatable pathway systems, such as pedestrian walkways and vehicular driveways, wherein the base member of the heatable modules that are used has favourable dielectric properties.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide heatable pathway systems, such as pedestrian walkways and vehicular driveways, wherein heat is transmitted quickly through the top plate above the base member of the heatable modules that are used.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide heatable pathway systems, such as pedestrian walkways and vehicular driveways, wherein the amount of material used to form the heatable modules that are used is significantly less than in prior art heatable modules.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide heatable pathway systems, such as pedestrian walkways and vehicular driveways, that is energy efficient.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide heatable pathway systems, such as pedestrian walkways and vehicular driveways, wherein the heatable modules that are used are energy efficient.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide heatable pathway systems, such as pedestrian walkways and vehicular driveways, wherein the heatable modules that are used contain a thin electrically powerable heater member.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide heatable pathway systems, such as pedestrian walkways and vehicular driveways, wherein heat is transmitted quickly through the top plate above the base member of the heated modules used therein.